A flydubai passenger aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv plunged about 14,300 feet in just 37 seconds during a dramatic mid-air incident over north-western Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to data from Flightradar24.
The extraordinary descent occurred as the flight, FZ1073, was heading towards Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The aircraft eventually diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. The incident unfolded amid reports that the two pilots had been involved in a physical confrontation in the cockpit.
The flight carried more than 100 Israeli passengers, according to reports, although figures for the total number of people aboard have varied in early accounts. At the start of the incident, the aircraft was flying at about 34,000 feet. It subsequently lost approximately 14,300 feet in 37 seconds, reaching around 16,600 feet. It then climbed again to roughly 21,700 feet before descending a second time. About five minutes after the incident began, the aircraft had stabilised at around 14,000 feet.
One of the pilots tried to sabotage the flight and later stabbed his co-pilot — identified as Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar — before being overpowered by passengers, according to reports. Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an “incident” while en route and said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Because an airliner would ordinarily descend at roughly 1,500 to 3,000 feet per minute, the descent rate was extraordinary by the standards of a normal passenger flight. Even an emergency descent is generally carried out at a substantially lower rate than the approximately 23,000 feet per minute recorded during this event.
The circumstances of the confrontation have not been fully established by flydubai or Saudi authorities, and the investigation remains underway. Flight-tracking data showed that the aircraft transmitted emergency transponder codes, including 7700, the internationally recognised code for a general emergency, and 7500, which indicates a hijacking situation. The 7500 signal prompted fears that the aircraft could have been hijacked, prompting Israel to scramble its jets.
The two pilots became involved in a physical confrontation in the cockpit, according to Israeli media reports.
